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Hinata had found him lying flat on the beach, letting the waves wash over his body. His prosthetic was well protected, and his eyes were shut to keep the water out.
“I don’t think you can effectively drown yourself like that,” Hinata mused.
Komaeda slowly sat up. He could only just hear the other over the waves. A weak smile graced his face, and he hummed, combing his unprotected hand through his soaked, sandy hair.
“As much as I know it would benefit you all… I’m not attempting to drown myself.”
Hinata sighed softly and stepped forward, holding out a hand. Komaeda opened his eyes and stared for a long moment. Then, though it gave him momentary anxiety, he took Hinata’s hand and used him to stand.
Squeezing his hand, the other boy let out a soft sigh.
“That was a bad thing to joke about. I’m sorry.”
Komaeda blinked. “Hm? Why are you apologising?”
“What I said was inconsiderate,” Hinata explained. “...You know, you drowning wouldn’t benefit us at all. We want you around.”
“No, I didn’t know that,” Komaeda said thoughtfully. “Truthfully. It’s hard to pick up on.”
Hinata took a step toward the beach, not letting go of his hand. “Well, we want you around. Now, let’s go get you dry, okay?”
Without complaint, he followed Hinata out of the water toward the living space occupied by them and the other remnants, and again didn’t protest as Hinata helped him dry off. Komaeda was vaguely aware of the fact that he was trembling, and then that he was freezing cold.
“Hey, Hinata?” Komaeda asked, his voice soft.
“Hm?” Hinata replied, draping a towel over his shoulders. His mannerisms seemed almost protective, and they made Komaeda feel a great deal safer.
“When you talk to me, and help me restore my hope,” Komaeda began, “You always say we want me. That the group wants me. But what about you, Hinata?”
He paused, frowning a little and making eye contact with the other. “What do you mean, what about me?”
“Do you want me around, Hinata? Or do you simply tolerate me because everyone else does?”
Hinata rested his hands on Komaeda’s shoulders carefully.
“Komaeda,” he began, “listen to me, okay?”
Komaeda nodded a bit, falling quiet to listen.
“I promise you, I care about you,” Hinata told him. Despite being gentle, his voice had a firmness to it. “And that I want you around.”
Komaeda locked eyes with him and sort of stared for a long moment, before letting out a burst of breathy laughter. It seemed to startle the boy in front of him - that he’d said something genuine and heartfelt and got a laugh in response - but Komaeda brushed off the shock in his face.
“Oh, Hinata,” Komaeda murmured, “I don’t think I’ll ever understand you. I want to so badly, but… I feel that such a feat is truly impossible.”
Hinata smiled warmly, letting go of Komaeda and allowing his hands fall to his sides.
“I don’t think I’ll ever really understand you, either,” he mused. “But, I don’t mind that. I don’t need to understand everything.”
Laughing a little louder this time, Komaeda declared, “Good, you don’t tend to understand much!”, to Hinata’s dismay.
But things were okay. Truly, things were okay.